Choi Jin-young (; November 17, 1970 – March 29, 2010) was a South Korean actor and singer.

Career

Choi made his debut as a television commercial model in 1987 and began his acting career three years later. He rose to stardom in 1993 with the popular TV show ''Our Paradise'', and his resemblance to his elder sister, popular actress Choi Jin-sil gave him a head start in his career, while his youthful image helped him gain recognition in various TV dramas, commercials and even films. Choi's acting career floundered but in 1999, after completing military service, he returned to the stage as a singer using the stage name SKY. His first album ''Final Fantasy'' was a success, with the popular single "Forever" topping music charts. He released his third and last album in 2004. In 2007, he returned to acting with a supporting role in the series ''It's OK Because I Love You'', but failed to catch much attention.

Personal life

When Choi Jin-sil committed suicide on October 2, 2008, photos of Choi in tears clutching his sister's picture shook the nation, and fans wept with him as he led her funeral procession. Acting upon his late sister's wishes to finish college, he belatedly enrolled in

Hanyang University Hanyang University (HYU, ) is a Private university, private research university in Seoul and Ansan (ERICA campus), South Korea. ''Hanyang'' () derives from the Names of Seoul, former name of the capital Seoul used during the Joseon period. The u ...

to study acting in 2009, and played

Demetrius Demetrius is the Latinization of names, Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male name, male Greek given names, given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, ...

in a staging of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

''. Suffering from depression after his sister's death, Choi canceled engagements for more than a year. Friends later said he made several suicide attempts and had his stomach pumped for a drug overdose in 2009. Refusing his mother's pleas that he see a doctor, Choi relied instead on nonprescription

tranquilizer A sedative or tranquilliser is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement. They are central nervous system (CNS) depressants and interact with brain activity, causing its deceleration. Various kinds of sedatives c ...

s he bought from a pharmacy. In January 2010, Choi signed with a new agency, MCloud Entertainment, and announced plans on March 2 to resume activities in the first half of the year, but his approaching comeback added to his stress and he increasingly felt frustrated that he wasn't getting cast in any TV series.

Death

On March 29, 2010, Choi hanged himself with an electrical cord in the attic of his apartment in Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul. When Choi did not answer the phone, Chung alerted Choi's mother, and the two hurried to his home together. His body was found by his mother and a woman identified as Chung, who was his junior in college. They called the police and a 119 rescue squad around 2:14 pm. Choi was rushed to Gangnam Severance Hospital for

CPR Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure used during cardiac or respiratory arrest that involves chest compressions, often combined with artificial ventilation, to preserve brain function and maintain circulation until sp ...

at 2:46 p.m. but was pronounced dead on arrival. Choi's body was

cremated Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

and his ashes were buried next to his sister at the Kapsan Cemetery in

Yangpyeong Yangpyeong County () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Climate Yangpyeong has a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification, Köppen: ''Dwa'') with cold, dry w ...

, Gyeonggi Province.

Filmography

Television series

*''92 Whale Hunting'' (KBS2, 1992) *''Our Paradise 2'' (MBC, 1993) *''Landscaping with My Wife'' (KBS2, 1996) *''City Men and Women'' (SBS, 1996) *''Power of Love'' (MBC, 1996) *''Drops'' (MBC, 1997) *''It's OK Because I Love You'' (KBS2, 2007)

Film

*''Well, Let's Look at the Sky Sometimes'' (1990) *''You Know What? It's a Secret 2'' (1991) *''Does the American Moon Rise Over Itaewon?'' (1991) *''Beyond the Mountain'' (1991) *''Teenage Love Song'' (1991) *''I Want to Live Just Until 20 Years Old'' (1992) *''A Distant and Distant Future'' (1995) *''Final Blow'' (1996) *''Open The Door To Youth'' (1996)

Theater

*''

'' (2009)

Discography

Awards

*1991

Chunsa Film Art Awards The Chunsa Film Art Awards (also known as the Icheon Chunsa Film Festival) have been presented in South Korea since the founding of the prize by the Korea Film Directors' Society in 1990. The awards take their name from the pen name of the earl ...

: Best New Actor (''Beyond the Mountain'') *1999

SBS Gayo Daejeon ''SBS Gayo Daejeon'' (, broadly ''SBS'' '' Battle of the Bands'') is an annual televised music festival that is broadcast by the Seoul Broadcasting System at the end of each year. The program first aired in 1997, and awards were given to musica ...

: Rock Award *

2000 Mnet Asian Music Awards The 2000 Mnet Music Video Festival (MMF) was the second of the annual music awards in Seoul, South Korea that took place on November 24, 2000, at the Little Angels Arts Center. Leading the nominees were boyband H.O.T. and solo artist Jo Sung- ...

: Best New Male Artist"2000 M.net Korean Music Festival Winners list"
. ''MAMA''. Retrieved June 12, 2014. *2000 대한민국 영상음반대상: Best Newcomer *2000

Golden Disk Awards The Golden Disc Awards (, formerly spelled the Golden Disk Awards before 2015) is an annual South Korean major music awards ceremony that honors achievements in the local music industry. The awards ceremony was founded with the purpose to prom ...

: Best Newcomer

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Choi, Jin-young Male actors from Seoul Suicides by hanging in South Korea South Korean male singers South Korean pop rock singers South Korean male film actors South Korean male television actors 1970 births 2010 deaths Jin-young MAMA Award winners 2010 suicides